Before the two best-actor Oscars, the hit movies and other distinguished projects that catapulted him into Hollywood’s elite ranks, Tom Hanks was an un-pretty woman.

In 1980, Hanks got one of his first breaks with “Bosom Buddies,” an ABC show in which he and Peter Scolari played bachelor ad men who move into an all-female apartment house after their building is condemned. The actors donned wigs, bras, pantyhose and skirts as they hung out with their neighbors, including a blond bombshell (Donna Dixon) who was the object of Hanks’ affections.

The theme song, “My Life” by Billy Joel, was a major hit, but “Bosom Buddies” flopped with critics and viewers, flaming out after two seasons. Hanks would emerge unscathed; two years later, he starred in the man-loves-mermaid comedy “Splash” that launched his meteoric film career.

Instead of treating “Bosom Buddies” as a footnote best forgotten, Hanks embraced his past with open arms during a gleeful reunion with Scolari and the cast at Sony Studios for the eighth annual “TV Land Awards.” The show, which will air at 8 p.m. Sunday on the cable network, marks the first “Bosom Buddies” reunion since the show went off the air.

“You can look back and say, ‘You know, we really did some great shows,’ ” said Hanks backstage after accepting the TV Land honor with Scolari, Dixon, Telma Hopkins and Holland Taylor. The cast gave a special tribute to co-star Wendie Jo Sperber, who died in 2005 of breast cancer.

Life after “Bosom Buddies” brought varying degrees of good fortune to cast members. Scolari, who shared top billing with Hanks, later joined the cast of “Newhart” for six years and has worked steadily in film, TV and theater. Hopkins, who had been a member of the hit group Tony Orlando and Dawn, has appeared in several television shows (“Family Matters”). Taylor has been a regular on several series and currently plays the mother of Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer on “Two and a Half Men.” Dixon married actor Dan Aykroyd and made a memorable appearance in “Wayne’s World.”

Taylor said that during the “Bosom Buddies” days, there was something about Hanks that set him apart. “I called my mother after filming the pilot and said, ‘There’s a boy on this show that is freakishly talented.’ ”

“Tom’s talent as a comedic actor was more than evident,” added Scolari. “But no one could have predicted what he would be capable of as a dramatic actor in the years to come.”

Though Hanks achieved success far beyond his “Bosom Buddies” mates, he was as giddy with excitement as his former colleagues as they reconnected and teased one another. The memories flowed: the time a live tiger that was part of a storyline got loose on the set; the “computer dating” episode with a guest appearance by an actress named Rita Wilson, who would later become Hanks’ wife; long days of camera blocking and rehearsals where the exhausted, frazzled cast would improvise material that would become part of the finished episode.

There were also tough times behind the camera. Both Hanks and Scolari were in troubled marriages. Hanks had no car and had to borrow money from the producers. “I was stone-cold broke,” he recalled.

Asked how it felt to get back together, Scolari quipped, “I feel a bit gassy,” while Dixon countered, “No, I noticed that you had a tear in your eye.” Added Hopkins: “Yeah, he gets very emotional.”

In fact, the show’s lack of success helped cement their obvious warmth for one another.

“Occasions like this make me want to see everyone more,” said Taylor. “We were not a hit, we were not anything. We were virtually invisible. As a result, it just came down to us enjoying each other, and we really did. It was like kids fooling around in the back yard.”

Still, being in drag was a bit of a drag for Hanks and Scolari.

“We hated it,” said Scolari. Piped in Hanks: “We would tell the writers, ‘Aren’t we strong enough as clever guys with our banter? Isn’t that enough?’ And then there would be the next episode and we’d have to dress up.”

Added Scolari: “We really took a beating in the press, got hammered for it the first few weeks. But when Dustin Hoffman comes out with ‘Tootsie,’ everyone goes, ‘Ooooh, masterpiece.’ “

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in Things to Do

You might call this the winter of our discontent. Especially coming off last year's glitzy Super Bowl extravaganza that helped make the coldest season in the Twin Cities one to remember. But there is hope.

Country star Thomas Rhett will return to St. Paul on Sept. 7 to headline Xcel Energy Center for the second time. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Nov. 30 through Ticketmaster, with prices to be announced. Citi cardholders have access to a presale starting at 10 a.m. Nov. 27. The son of country singer Rhett Akins (who is joining...

Bob Dylan has a new writing partner. Sort of, anyway. This week, Milwaukee singer/songwriter Trapper Schoepp released the song “On, Wisconsin” which features lyrics written by Dylan in 1961. It's the first single from Schoepp's upcoming album “Primetime Illusion,” which is due out Jan. 25. The lyrics apparently refer to the brief time Dylan spent living in Madison after he...

Like the off-Hollywood movies he champions, Joe Bob Briggs is unknown to most but has a loyal following bigger than one might suspect. That was proved true in July, when a horror streaming service lassoed Briggs into one last rodeo and together they broke the internet. "The Last Drive-In" was a 24-hour marathon of horror movies introduced, interrupted, inspected and...

Minnesota's own Dan Wilson isn't releasing a new album this year. Instead, he's issuing a new song each month. So far, he's uploaded two fresh tracks to YouTube, “We Ain't Telling” and “Uncanny Valley.” Wilson, who moved to the San Fernando Valley in 2011, told Billboard: “I’m still getting used to it. I find Los Angeles to be warm, welcoming,...

Now you can sit back into a chair pose instead of an actual chair while listening to live classical music at Orchestra Hall. A series of three yoga classes taking place in the lobby of Orchestra Hall brings together classical music lovers and yogis to experience something new. Musicians from the Minnesota Orchestra will play live for the classes, working...